Vibration - Tire Balancing Problem?

[Anthony]

I'm getting a low level of vibration while driving between 75-100 kmh/hr. The vibration is not felt or seen through the steering wheel, but it feels like you're driving over some rough/bumpy pavement. It's very slight, but noticeable. I have stock wheels and tires (Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus).

I only noticed this problem after getting my tires rotated. I went to the dealer and a mechanic went with me on a road test and told me that I should balance the tires. I went ahead with it (one tire was out an ounce, while two were out half an ounce, and one was fine), but the vibration is still there.

Any ideas what the problem could be? I'm not sure what kind of balancing equipment Toyota uses...could it be that they are not doing it right? (see links below)

Hunter’s GSP9700 Vibration Control System Solves Vibration Problems Balancing Can’t Fix
http://www.hunter.com/pub/company/press ... -02-01.htm

"...Toyota wheels...are “lug centric"..."
http://forums.vmag.com/suv4run0499/messages/3309.html

Anthony
2002 SLE V6

[DavPak]

I'm getting a low level of vibration while driving between 75-100 kmh/hr.

what's that in MPH?

if a balance didn't work, rotate them back to where they were.

[Kocho]

I've balanced and re-balanced my stock wheels/tires ('00 LE) till the studs got bad . New tires did not help. So, at about 65K I got new alloy rims and new tires to see if this would help. The first two balances on the tires (after install and immediately after that to fix it were auful. I then went for a vibration control (road-force or something alike) machine and stick-on weights - the balance was almost perfect and almost no vibration.

But not 100% gone. When I rotated tires, it gots worse. I checked ballance, one was a little off, the other three - perfect. But the vibration is still there.

So, unless you spend about $150 or so USD for a precision mounting and balance where the machine takes into account the balance of each rim relative to the tires (e.g. suggests which tire to put on which rim and how to rotate the tire relative to the rim), I'm afraid most of us will have to live with this vibration...

BTW, Toyota rims (at least latest couple of generations) are hub-centric too - they center on the hub; and the OEM steel rims center on the cone-shaped lugs as well....

One more thing: if your lug nuts are unevenly torqued, this may cause a slight bent in the rim/hub/disk and thus cause a vibration, even disk warping in severe cases.

Other causes for vibration might be the unbalanced drive-shafts, etc. but these might not be worth fixing for a small vibration...

I'm getting a low level of vibration while driving between 75-100 kmh/hr. The vibration is not felt or seen through the steering wheel, but it feels like you're driving over some rough/bumpy pavement. It's very slight, but noticeable. I have stock wheels and tires (Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus).

I only noticed this problem after getting my tires rotated. I went to the dealer and a mechanic went with me on a road test and told me that I should balance the tires. I went ahead with it (one tire was out an ounce, while two were out half an ounce, and one was fine), but the vibration is still there.

Any ideas what the problem could be? I'm not sure what kind of balancing equipment Toyota uses...could it be that they are not doing it right? (see links below)

Hunter’s GSP9700 Vibration Control System Solves Vibration Problems Balancing Can’t Fix
http://www.hunter.com/pub/company/press ... -02-01.htm

"...Toyota wheels...are “lug centric"..."
http://forums.vmag.com/suv4run0499/messages/3309.html

Anthony
2002 SLE V6

[mailskobe]

how about alignment?
i had the same problem. seemed like my car was shivering at high speeds 80MPH.

when the alignment of the front tires is off, it causes a feather effect on tires. what i mean is if you continue running in that state, the tires wear out in a feathered pattern. the wheels in this case are aligned something like this | \ or / | or / \ or \ | or | / instead of | | (its over emphasized of course, i cant draw a slant less than \ or / )


get a 4 wheel alignment. check the alignment report, make sure its within bounds.

ofcourse, i assume your wheels are balanced.

sko

[lupous]

i have this same problem...and my alignment is almost perfect, well within the standard limitations. except for the left tire has a -1.3 camber. is that something that should have been fixed?

[HKSV6SLE]

your camber might need to be corrected....b4 i got my camber fixed...i had that same prob....

[lupous]

how exactly do you fix camber? i went and got an alignment, and thats how they left it. should they have corrected that.

also, i know this has already been discussed, but my car falls off to the left. is this also something that could be caused by this

[DavPak]

how exactly do you fix camber? i went and got an alignment, and thats how they left it. should they have corrected that.

also, i know this has already been discussed, but my car falls off to the left. is this also something that could be caused by this

an alignment (if done properly) adjusts camber, caster, and toe angles.

yes your car pulling to one side could be a result of being out of alignment.